Redoing tank...

[Jezah]

I am planning right now to re-do my 29g completly. I hope to fill it with...

School of cherry barbs(6-9)
2 dwarf gouramis
1 golden killifish
School of corys
1 plecostomus

Sound ok..? BTW my tank is already cycled and I will be donating the inhabitants now(2 congo tetras, 2 penguin tetras and 2 pristilla tetras)to the LFS I work at. So the tank is already used to a good amount of fish...would it be ok to add all the proposed new inhabitants at once..?

P.S. Do cherry barbs school tightly? I want fish that school well, but neons are too delicate for me and I dislike rasboras colors.

 

[Mr Miagi]

I think that would work out fine! Im not sure about the tightness of barbs though, i know they schoal but, im pretty sure they are not tight schoalers.

 

[Iron Man]

Tank sounds like a looker.

 

[sylvia]

Actualy cherry barbs aren't schooling fish at all so maybe you'd do well to replace them with something else. Maybe go for harlequin rasboras if you want something that schools tightly. If you are set on a barb, I love golden dwarf barbs and they are good schoolers as well as being smaller so you could keep more or add something else in future or you could try checker barbs which are similar to cherries (though not as brightly colored) but do school quite well. I'd also suggest zebra danios which I love even though they are quite common as they have character and school well. Black phantom tetras are also a great choice if you want something attractive that schools a little and is differently shaped to the other inhabitants.

Other than that, choose the plec carefuly and the tank should be very nice.

As for adding them all at once, I wouldn't. I'd add all but the schooling fish in first (provided the tank is cycled and mature of course) and put in the school of barbs or whatever a week later. Obviously you should monitor the water params to make sure everything's right.

 

[Ferris]

I think great choices overall but sylvia makes a good point about the cherry barbs, great fish but if you want schoolers, I'd re think that part.

 

[Mr Miagi]

and I dislike rasboras colors.

I dont really thin he wants harliquins, although they are great fish!

Man, i was wrong about the barbs, sorry! I certainly thought they did but obviously not!

There are some different coloured Rasbora, very nice colours too.

 

[ccg]

Currently in my tank I have 6 cherry barbs, 6 golden, and 4 tiger barbs. The cherry barbs do not really school together. Although after a feed or a water change then do stick in a tight group. Usually after the water change they spend like 2 hours hangng out in the stream from my filters, they seem to like the flowing water. My golden barbs stick tighter together then the cherries, but even then they are not they close.

Putting all that aside, I have had a great time and experience with both my cherry and golden barbs, and would recommend either of them for your setup, but I'm affraid you won't see the tight schooling your looking for. Golden barbs are the best eaters I have ever seen, during feeding time they go crazy. Or even if I am at my desk near the tank they will follow me around and group near the glass waiting to be fed. Very nice fish.

Also my cherry barbs are teh brightest red ever, they get a well balanced diet and they are really showing off their colours lately.

Overall for your setup I think etiher would be a great choice.

 

[Jezah]

Hrm. I am unsure now. I wish my LFS sold cardinal tetras because they are more hardy. They dont and I am stuck. Plus my opinion is that tetras are...well...dumb. I like barbs because they are smart, but an active school is really what I was looking for. Tiger barbs get too big for my tank(to have as a school)and apparently cherry barbs dont school. So what about Danios? Do different morphs of danios school well? Like could I get 2 leopard danios and 3 zebra danios and have them school? Also...White Cloud Mountain Minnows....do they school tightly?

 

[lizard]

A note on Neons: Mine have been tough little fish. I know they have a reputation of being wimpy, but mine must have missed that memo They've been through a couple moves and a couple bouts of ich with few to no problems. I had twelve last summer and am down to ten. Not sure what happened with the two - just found 'em dead. One did seem to have some odd spots on him, but was otherwise fine. That was one of the ones I found dead. They're nice colorful little fish (and cheap, which is a plus when you have little extra money!). My husband likes 'em, too, which is a plus

ANn Corys, well, they're some of my favorites! Found some "new" (to me, anyway) Corys the other day and I just love 'em - Corydoras habrosus. Pandas are always great, too

Don't know much about the other fish, except that the Pleco I want is $250 (Zebra Plec).

Good luck! I *love* my 29 gallon tank. If I had to choose between a 55 and a 29, I'd choose a 29.

Pamela
aka Married Lizard

 

[Jezah]

Hrm, i know. I love neons, they are gorgeous. Alas, my experience has been several always stuck to the filter intake every morning till they are all dead. They just seem to fade away in my tank. My killifish is actually my toughest fish, he has survived 2 batches of petco fish and the ich that came with them. I also wonder...will different morphs of CORYDORAS school together..? I like variety.

 

[tanganyika1001]

Do different morphs of danios school well? Like could I get 2 leopard danios and 3 zebra danios and have them school? Also...White Cloud Mountain Minnows....do they school tightly?

hi jezah. Ive had leopard danios in my tank for 4 months or thereabouts and they havent schooled or shoaled or whatever you want to call it once. Its annoying! Im going to sell them if any one will ever buy them lol. They seem to shoal in the dealers tanks, but they never do it for me Anyway, zebras are hardy temperate fish and i would hope they shoal better. Ive never seen them outside a dealers tank. There are other danio species, eg pearl danios. Did you say you dont like any tetras? There are plenty of species of tetras, and from what i have seen and read, neons are actually really hardy and even often recommended as a beginners fish. While its good to support your lfs, you can/should always look elsewhere for variety. Also, different species of cories wont school, even if they look very similar. The will often kinda gather in a group and grub around but they wont tightly school.

 

[sylvia]

Leopard and zebra danios are actualy essentialy the same species so they behave pretty much the same. I love zebra danios myself but be forwarned that they'll only shoal when scared or excited or when they are in a big tank with big fish and lots of ornaments or plants to bloack their line of sight a bit. Zebras and leopards and also most others of the more common danio types will school together. Just mixing the various color morphs and varieties of zebra danios can produce a remarkably varied display for such a common little fish.

White clouds doschool but realy white clouds are only borderline tropical and do better in slightly lower temps so I preffer to keep them with fish like bronze cories, danios, rubbernose plecs or other minnows that all enjoy a slightly lower temp.

IME, different cories will school together if there are only a few of their own species or if they are alone. However, if there are a number of each species, the schools will rarely mix. I generaly preffer to keep cories in groups of at least 4 of their own species. If you want to mix them, keep at least 2 of each species but at least 4 cories in total.

The best schooling fish are rasboras though - I know you said you didn't like them but I would think you have a harlequin in mind. If it's the red color you don't like, there are a few color morphs that are darker or have a slightly different pattern that you might preffer. If not, there are plenty of other rasboras to choose from! The The eye-spot rasbora (2.5"), spotted or pygmy rasbora (one of my favourites and only 1"), the red-line or red-striped or glowlight rasbora (2") and fire rasboras (1.5"). There are plenty of different kinds. However, if you think tetras are 'dumb', you'll probably think the same of most rasboras. Still, they are the very best schoolers and I find spotted rasboras in particular are very cute and have a lot of character for thei small size. BTW, there are many others such as the clown rasbora and scissortails which are lovely fish but get to 3" - I assumed that if tiger barbs were too large, so would these. However, rasboras need not be in groups of 7 to limmit aggression so a smaller group of these larger fish might work for you.

If you like barbs though, there are so many to choose from besides cherries that have a good, non-nippy temperament and the small size. Consider golden dwarf barbs which are great schoolers and only about 1.25", checker barbs at 2" and roloff's barb (lovely looking) that also grows to 2" but is a little more nippy IME. There are plenty of slightly larger ones too and the tropedo is an amazing fish if you are up to it.

 

[Jezah]

Thanks for the info! I may end up going with the rasboras anyways. My LFS only sells Harlequin and Scissortail and Scissortails are going to be to big to have a school of them. So Harlequins it is, maybe they will grow on me.

 

[Blue Lobster]

Pristella Tetras school daily for hours. Zebra Dianos school tightly when in groups of 6 or more.


More importantly, pick your pleco CAREFULLY! Look for a smaller full growth species like a Clown Pleco. Spend the money on a fancy pleco, they are so cool. Also, what type of corys are you planning on?

Here is the bible of plecos/catfish etc.
http/www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/com_list.php

 

[ccg]

I use to have a school of Rummy Nosed Tetras and loved them. They even get long great with my barbs and never had any problems. They tightly schooled together and I had 8 of them. Although they only lived a little over a year for me and I lost all but one. He is the lonely one in a tank of pure barbs (other then himself) he seems to be doing well though. He is the toughest fish I have ever owned, he lives in a tank of barbs, he recently was in both a 10 and 45 gallon to help cycle with various other cheap fish I bought, and now he is back in with his barb friends. Even during feeding time when the barbs go crazy he is still right there eating anything and everything he can.

Anyhow, the other 7 were not nearly as hardry as he was because after a year of having them I lost the 7 over a matter of 2months (no idea why) tanks has and always was fine.

I have 6 golden barbs and they always stick pretty close, althoguh I am not sure if they always do this or just do this in my setup..